I recently had the pleasure of visiting a surprising (to me, at least) NYC historic treasure, Poe Cottage in the Bronx, Edgar Allan Poe’s last residence. While I had known that Poe had perished in Baltimore, I was unaware that he called the Bronx home for the last three years of his life. He wrote several…

I’ve just returned from a trip to Los Angeles, land of relentless sunshine. In the past, I’ve found the aggressive solar aspects of LA to be oppressive and uncomfortable, but I had a much different experience this time. I was ready to open up to the sun as a symbol of optimism, vitality and enlightenment.

It’s summertime in New York City and I’ve been bee-witched. In the park there are bushes alive with busy bumblebees every morning. I’ve fallen under the spell of their nectar-intoxicated dance; their ingredient-gathering ritual that results in the magical miracle of honey.

The mysterious moon pays us a visit each and every night; even on nights when we can’t see her, she is merely hiding, playing her month-long game of peek-a-boo. She is the consummate coquette, the cool and shimmering goddess, so full of secrets, but she will share them with those who will open their hearts…

The fragrant tonka bean is a native of South America, a product of the cumaru tree (dipteryx odorata). They have a lovely vanilla-almond-slightly fruity aroma, and in hoodoo traditions these sweet-smelling beans are used for love and money magic. It’s said that you should work with them in only in odd numbers. They can be…

Beltane is one of the best festivals of the year in my opinion – a celebration of fire, flowers and creativity! It’s also the backdrop for the 1973 Christopher Lee gem The Wicker Man, the film about a hapless policeman investigating a missing child on the mysterious Scottish island of Summerisle. If you’ve never seen…

The Green Man is a mysterious chap. A nature deity, he is usually depicted as an anthropomorphic form composed entirely of lush, green vegetation; his face sprouting leaves instead of hair and branches streaming from his mouth. Interestingly, though he appears to be obviously pagan, the Green Man peers out from the architectural details of…

The Fool is many things and none. The Fool is the jester, the joker, the trickster, the clown, the simpleton, the naïf, the hero. The first card in the tarot deck, the Fool’s number is zero. A blank slate.

You may have heard about a little film called The Witch that generated a lot of positive buzz out of Sundance last year and is now playing in theaters. If not, here is the trailer: The film is being billed as horror, and it does have some horror elements, but it will disappoint those in…

As Valentine’s Day draws near, our thoughts turn to love, romance and flowers. The Two of Cups is the tarot card that represents an ideal relationship between two people where there is balance, respect and genuine love. Parfait Amour (“perfect love” in French) is a violet-hued liqueur that tastes like a Victorian love potion combining the essences…

Imbolc is celebrated at the beginning of February, marking the midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. The word “imbolc” is believed to mean “ewe’s milk” as this is the time of year when the sheep were giving birth and producing milk, the first stirrings of new life in the midst of winter,…